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1920 - Born on April 1st in Tsingtao, Shantung province, China. A leading actor in the post-World War II Japanese cinema, known internationally for his energetic, flamboyant portrayals of samurai characters, especially in films directed by Kurosawa Akira.
1946-1947 - Going to Tokyo after the war, he was hired as a contract player by Toho Film Studios at Kurosawa's urging.
- Mifune had a small part in Shin baka jidai (“These Foolish Times”).
1948 - He achieved critical recognition and box-office success as the gangster in Kurosawa's Yoidore tenshi (Drunken Angel).
1950 - Mifune first achieved international fame for his role as a boastful bandit in the classic film Rashomon.
1954-1962 - He is best known for his popular portrayals of samurai in other period films by Kurosawa, including Shichinin no samurai (Seven Samurai), Kakushitoride no san akunin (The Hidden Fortress), Yojimbo, and Tsubaki Sanjuro.
- A highly versatile actor, he also starred in Kurosawa's adaptations of three Western literary classics: Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel The Idiot, titled Hakuchi; Shakespeare's Macbeth, titled Kumonosu-jo (Throne of Blood); and Maksim Gorky's play The Lower Depths, titled Donzoko. Mifune also appeared in Kurosawa's Tengoku to jigoku (High and Low), a detective thriller; and Akahige (Red Beard), his last appearance in a film by that director.
- Mifune starred in dozens of other Japanese motion pictures, among them Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto and Joi-uchi (Rebellion).
1969-1976 - Among the international productions Mifune appeared in are Hell in the Pacific, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Soleil rouge (Red Sun), and Midway.
1981 - He also performed in the American television production Shogun.
1997 - He died on December 24th in Mitaka, near Tokyo, Japan.
1946-1947 - Going to Tokyo after the war, he was hired as a contract player by Toho Film Studios at Kurosawa's urging.
- Mifune had a small part in Shin baka jidai (“These Foolish Times”).
1948 - He achieved critical recognition and box-office success as the gangster in Kurosawa's Yoidore tenshi (Drunken Angel).
1950 - Mifune first achieved international fame for his role as a boastful bandit in the classic film Rashomon.
1954-1962 - He is best known for his popular portrayals of samurai in other period films by Kurosawa, including Shichinin no samurai (Seven Samurai), Kakushitoride no san akunin (The Hidden Fortress), Yojimbo, and Tsubaki Sanjuro.
- A highly versatile actor, he also starred in Kurosawa's adaptations of three Western literary classics: Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel The Idiot, titled Hakuchi; Shakespeare's Macbeth, titled Kumonosu-jo (Throne of Blood); and Maksim Gorky's play The Lower Depths, titled Donzoko. Mifune also appeared in Kurosawa's Tengoku to jigoku (High and Low), a detective thriller; and Akahige (Red Beard), his last appearance in a film by that director.
- Mifune starred in dozens of other Japanese motion pictures, among them Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto and Joi-uchi (Rebellion).
1969-1976 - Among the international productions Mifune appeared in are Hell in the Pacific, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Soleil rouge (Red Sun), and Midway.
1981 - He also performed in the American television production Shogun.
1997 - He died on December 24th in Mitaka, near Tokyo, Japan.
  | Page last updated: 2:41pm, 07th Apr '07 |
Related Books
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The Emperor and the Wolf: The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune by Stuart Galbraith IV (Hardcover - Feb 17, 2002) The first -- and long overdue -- English-language biography of two of the world's great cinema figures.Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune made sixteen feature films together, includingRashomon,Seven...  |
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The Japan Film Center Presents a Tribute to Toshiro Mifune : 40 Films Starring Japan's Greatest Actor by Toshiro] Japan Society [Mifune (Paperback - May 17, 1984) |
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"Eiga o aishita futari" Kurosawa Akira, Mifune Toshiro by Yoshinori Abe (Unknown Binding) |
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A Tribute To Toshiro Mifune. by Toshiro) (Mifune (Paperback - May 17, 1984) |
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Midway (Collector's Edition) (DVD) Six months after the Japanese destroyed the U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, the Americans discovered the Japanese were planning to seize the Naval base at Midway Island--a perfect staging point... Usually ships in 24 hours |
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